The meeting will be held in Coimbra (Portugal) at the new Convention Center located at the renovated building of the former São Francisco Convent. The history of the São Francisco Convent is linked to the history of the presence of the religious order of St. Francis of Assisi in the city of Coimbra.

The original building of the Convent of the Franciscan order was the Convent of São Francisco da Ponte, located closer to the Mondego riverbed, next to the bridge of Santa Clara. It was built on the orders of Prince D. Pedro, following his return to Portugal in 1247 and given a request of that religious order to provide a place to house the Franciscan friars in the city of Coimbra.

Because of its location next to the Mondego river, and due to consecutive floods, at the end of the XVI century the Convent of São Francisco da Ponte was extensively damaged. This led the Franciscans to abandon the building raised in the thirteenth century and to move to a new building on the site where today is located the Convent of São Francisco, in Santa Clara (Coimbra).

Over the years, the church and the convent underwent several renovations, some as a result of natural disasters, such as the earthquake of 1755.

Initially, the monastery was used for worship and housing of the Franciscans, but with the extinction of the religious orders in 1834 the buildings were then repurposed, being used as shelter during periods of war, wine cellar and to house factories (pasta factory and wool mill), according to the interests of several individuals who, from 1842, successively owned the property.